Covid-19 patients needed to donate blood plasma

The NHS urgently needs people who have had Covid-19 to donate blood at a Croydon centre.

NHS Blood and Transplant has opened the doors of its new plasma donation centre at the Centrale Shopping Centre, and has issued an urgent call to anyone who has had Covid-19 to register as a donor.

Plasma collected at the centre will be used in clinical trials to determine whether the antibody-rich blood plasma found in people who have had coronavirus – known as convalescent plasma – could be an effective treatment for Covid-19.

The plasma is transfused into patients who are struggling to develop their own immune response. The antibodies could slow or stop the virus spreading, which could save lives.

More than 20 people are already booked in to donate at the new Croydon centre over the next month, and the number is growing every day.

Donations are urgently needed so that if the trials confirm patient benefit, plasma can be made readily available for general use in the NHS. You can register online by searching ‘donate plasma’.

Anyone aged 18 years or over who has had Covid-19 can  offer to donate blood plasma donor. Donating is easy – it takes just 45 minutes and the whole appointment, including time for snacks, lasts approximately one hour and 15 minutes.

NHSBT especially needs more male and BAME donors to come forward as their plasma is more likely to contain the higher levels of antibodies required.

People who needed hospital treatment are especially likely to have high antibody levels.

By the end of this year, there will be 42 plasma donation points across England so that 80 per cent of potential donors can reach one within 45 minutes.

If you’ve had confirmed coronavirus or the symptoms, you can volunteer today to donate plasma here or simply search online for ‘donate plasma’.